Good morning. Wednesday in Whitewater will be mostly sunny with a high of 58. Sunrise is 6:49 AM and sunset 6:40 PM for 11h 50m 44s of daytime. The moon is a waxing crescent with 7.6% of its visible disk illuminated. Whitewater’s Parks & Recreation Board meets at 5:30 PM. On this day in 1781,…
Charity and Mercy
Beautiful Whitewater, Beauty, Charity and Mercy, City, Culture, Daily Bread, Faraway Places, Local Government, New Whitewater, Open Government, Politics, Poverty
Daily Bread for 8.19.22: Residency Matters, Practically and Ethically
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Good morning. Friday in Whitewater will be mostly cloudy with a high of 79. Sunrise is 6:06 AM and sunset 7:49 PM for 13h 43m 24s of daytime. The moon is a waning crescent with 45.2% of its visible disk illuminated. On this day in 1812, the American frigate USS Constitution defeats the British frigate HMS Guerriere off the coast…
Charity and Mercy, City, Culture, Local Government, Newspapers, Police, Politics, Poverty
‘Communicate, Communicate, Communicate’ Isn’t So Easy in a Fractured Town
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Some years ago, an administrator (no longer with the school district) told others that a good practice for leaders was to ‘communicate, communicate, communicate’ with the community. The concept makes sense: craft a message and then make sure it’s heard by repeating it. In a small town, how hard could that be? As it turns…
Business, CDA, Charity and Mercy, Development, Economics, Economy, Failure, Free Markets, Government Spending, Innovation Center/Tech Park, Poverty, Press Release
Markets and Markets
by JOHN ADAMS • • 4 Comments
One reads that Whitewater now has an option, for most of the city, of grocery delivery from nearby cities. As it is, Whitewater has a Walmart, but no stand-alone, full-service grocery. Private delivery service is a benefit to the community. It’s better to have more grocery options than fewer. These are private enterprises providing private delivery…
Charity and Mercy, City, Poverty
Waiting for Whitewater’s Dorothy Day
by JOHN ADAMS • • 5 Comments
Whitewater has many needs, but fulfilling them requires setting aside the city’s longstanding addiction to press releases, public relations, ‘messaging,’ etc. That approach is both ineffectual and proud (where pride is a sin). Worse still is the irreparably conflicted role of politician and reporter, a government intrusion into civil society, a bad habit of Old…
CDA, Charity and Mercy, City, Economy, Local Government, Poverty, Recession
A Key Difference Between Bristol, New Hampshire and Whitewater, Wisconsin
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
A sad story from April about Bristol, N.H. (population 3,300) reveals key differences between that town and Whitewater. While this new recession affects both communities, the economic hardship will be different. See David Gelles, ‘This Is Going to Kill Small-Town America.’ Bristol depends on one major, private manufacturer: By the end of March, with just…
Charity and Mercy, Coronavirus, Local Government, School District
Whitewater’s Residents Judge Wisely
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
There has been some uncertainty in Whitewater about how cautious one should be in response to the coronavirus pandemic. As it turns out, Whitewater’s residents have had the right view of this, recognizing as they have the need for distance between people to limit the spread of disease. One reads, in an email from the…
Charity and Mercy, Crime, Immigration, Trump
Charity as Crime
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Charity and Mercy, Good Ideas, Holiday
Charitable Gifts for Mother’s Day
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Mother’s Day is May 12th this year, and families in Whitewater and far beyond will naturally and rightly purchase gifts for the mothers in the lives. For those who are able, there’s an additional opportunity to purchase charitable gifts for mothers and children under the care of the International Rescue Committee. The IRC was founded…
Charity and Mercy, City, Education, Poverty, Press Release, School District
What Matters, What Doesn’t
by JOHN ADAMS • • 1 Comment
Some contrasts are so clear that, on seeing them, one can tell immediately what matters and what does not: Number of homeless students in Whitewater School District reaches ‘crisis level’: The number of homeless students in [Dr. Lanora] Heim’s district last school year was more than double what it was three years ago—going from…
Charity and Mercy, City, Culture, Local Government, Poverty, School District, University
The Recent Cold
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
It’s been unseasonably cold in southeastern Wisconsin this week, and in Whitewater that presents a challenge for the disproportionately large number of impoverished residents (some of whom occasionally lack utilities, even at the most unfavorable times). The three large public institutions in the city – municipal government, school district, and public university – have collectively dozens…
Charity and Mercy, City, Culture, Economy, Good Ideas, Local Government, Poverty
Political and Apolitical Means of Local Accomplishment
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
One test of an institution’s vitality is how eager people are to become members, and how interested a community is to learn who’s become a member. Strong institutions or organizations attract attention. When the institution is a city or county government, one looks to see who’s eager to run for office, and how many people…
Assault Awareness & Prevention, CDA, Charity and Mercy, City, Corporate Welfare, Culture, Dogs, Economy, Education, Federal Government, Foxconn, Free Markets, Government Spending, Innovation Center/Tech Park, Local Government, Police, Politics, School District, State Capitalism, State Government, University, UW System, WEDC, Wisconsin
The Broad Outlines of 2019
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
For many years, I would begin the year with predictions for the twelve months ahead. Events since 2016 have made predictions harder, but one can still discern some short-term developments for the city. These prospects, of course, form an online of topics to ponder, and about which to write (often requiring that one return to the…
America, Asylum, Charity and Mercy, Federal Government, Law, Liberty
The Assault on Asylum Seekers
by JOHN ADAMS • • 2 Comments
This federal administration, despite a leader who receives support from some conservative religious groups, acts against generations of legal, philosophical, and religious principles when it uses force against unarmed asylum seekers. Father James Martin writes Stop the assault on asylum seekers: Yesterday the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency fired tear gas at migrants trying to seek…